Open Thread: Revolution in Egypt

An Egyptian woman reacts to the situation in her homeland during a demonstration against Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak outside the Egyptian embassy in Amman February 4, 2011. [Reuters Pictures]

Recommended Reading:

BBC—'Day of departure' rally in Egypt: "Tens of thousands of Egyptians are taking part in a 'day of departure' to try to oust President Hosni Mubarak. ... Our correspondent says the mood is relaxed but it is not quite the carnival atmosphere that existed before Wednesday—when pro-Mubarak gangs attacked anti-government protesters—and people are watchful."

Christiane Amanpour—Mubarak: 'If I Resign Today There Will Be Chaos' [please note if you're at work that a video starts playing when you click this link; it can be muted]: "I've just left the presidential palace in Cairo where I sat down for an exclusive 30-minute interview with President Hosni Mubarak. He told me that he is troubled by the violence we have seen in Tahrir Square over the last few days but that his government is not responsible for it."

New York Times—White House and Egypt Discuss Plan for Mubarak's Exit: "The Obama administration is discussing with Egyptian officials a proposal for President Hosni Mubarak to resign immediately and turn over power to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman with the support of the Egyptian military, administration officials and Arab diplomats said Thursday."

Nicholas Kristof—We Are All Egyptians:

At Tahrir Square's field hospital (a mosque in normal times), 150 doctors have volunteered their services, despite the risk to themselves. Maged, a 64-year-old doctor who relies upon a cane to walk, told me that he hadn't been previously involved in the protests, but that when he heard about the government's assault on peaceful pro-democracy protesters, something snapped.

So early Thursday morning, he prepared a will and then drove 125 miles to Tahrir Square to volunteer to treat the injured. "I don't care if I don't go back," he told me. "I decided I had to be part of this."

"If I die," he added, "this is for my country."

In the center of Tahrir Square, also known as Liberation Square, I bumped into one of my heroes, Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, a leading Arab feminist who for decades has fought female genital mutilation. Dr. Saadawi, who turns 80 this year, is white-haired and frail and full of fiery passion.

"I feel I am born again," she said.

CNN—News coverage curbed as journalists are targeted in Cairo: "Journalists attempting to cover unprecedented unrest in Egypt reported being beaten, arrested and harassed by security forces and police for a second day Thursday, leading to sharply limited television coverage of the protests. Various news outlets—including the BBC, Al-Arabiya, ABC News, the Washington Post, Fox News, Al Jazeera and CNN—said members of their staffs had been attacked or otherwise targeted. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also reported that staffers were detained."

Al Jazeera's daily liveblog is here.